Measurements and Modeling of Thermal Conductivity of Recycled Aggregates from Concrete, Clay Brick, and Their Mixtures with Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Grains

Cool road pavements contribute to mitigating urban heat islands. To evaluate the heat balance in paved surfaces and to select appropriate road construction materials that help suppress heat islands, an accurate understanding of heat transport parameters such as thermal conductivity (λ) and heat capacity (HC) is important. Recycled aggregates from construction and demolition waste, including scrap construction materials and industrial by-products, are often used for road construction; however, λ and HC of recycled aggregates especially for roadbeds are not fully understood. This study involved a series of laboratory tests to measure λ and HC of recycled concrete and clay brick aggregates (λ and HC increased with increasing volumetric water content (θ). Closed-form models for estimating λ(θ) were proposed using normalized thermal conductivity (λe) and effective saturation (Se). The new λe(Se) models performed well for the measured data compared to previously proposed models and would be useful to evaluate λ of recycled aggregates for roadbed materials

Synthesis of Silica-Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles and Application in the Detection of Pathogenic Viruses

Magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles were prepared by coprecipitation and then coated with silica. These Fe3O4/SiO2 nanoparticles consisted of a 10–15 nm magnetic core and a silica shell of 2–5 nm thickness. The superparamagnetic property of the Fe3O4/SiO2 particles with the magnetization of 42.5 emu/g was confirmed by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). We further optimized buffers with these Fe3O4/SiO2 nanoparticles to isolate genomic DNA of hepatitis virus type B (HBV) and of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) for detection of the viruses based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of a 434 bp fragment of S gene specific for HBV and 250 bp fragment of nuclear antigen encoding gene specific for EBV. The purification efficiency of DNA of both HBV and EBV using obtained Fe3O4/SiO2 nanoparticles was superior to that obtained with commercialized Fe3O4/SiO2 microparticles, as indicated by (i) brighter PCR-amplified bands for both HBV and EBV and (ii) higher sensitivity in PCR-based detection of EBV load (copies/mL). The time required for DNA isolation using Fe3O4/SiO2 nanoparticles was significantly reduced as the particles were attracted to magnets more quickly (15–20 s) than the commercialized microparticles (2-3 min)

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Mechanical Properties, Gas Transport Parameters, and Thermal Properties of Recycled Aggregates from Construction and Demolition Waste for Road Base and Subbase Materials in Vietnam

博士論文要約 全文公開予定 : 未定textapplication/pd

One-Step Preparation of pH-Responsive Polymeric Nanogels as Intelligent Drug Delivery Systems for Tumor Therapy

In this work, pH-responsive polypeptide-based nanogels are reported as potential drug delivery systems. By the formation of pH-sensitive benzoic imine bonds, pH-responsive nanogels are constructed using hydrophilic methoxy poly­(ethylene glycol)-<i>b</i>-poly­[<i>N</i>-[<i>N</i>-(2-aminoethyl)-2-aminoethyl]-l-glutamate] (MPEG-<i>b</i>-PNLG) and hydrophobic terephthalaldehyde (TPA) as a cross-linker. At pH 7.4, MPEG-<i>b</i>-PNLG nanogels exhibit high stabilities with hydrophobic inner cores, which allow encapsulation of hydrophobic therapeutic agents. Under tumoral acidic environments (pH ∼6.4), the cleavage of benzoic imine bonds induces the destruction of MPEG-<i>b</i>-PNLG nanogels and leads to rapid release of their payloads. The formation and pH sensitivity of the nanogels are investigated by dynamic light scattering. These nanogels exhibit excellent stabilities in the presence of salt or against dilution. The globular morphologies of the nanogels are confirmed using transmission electron microscopy. Doxorubicin is used as a model drug to evaluate drug encapsulation and release. Finally, the anticancer activities of the drug-encapsulated nanogels are assessed in vitro

Phylogenetic Analysis Based on DNA Barcoding and Genetic Diversity Assessment of Morinda officinalis How in Vietnam Inferred by Microsatellites

Morinda officinalis How is well-known as a valuable medicinal plant found in some regions of Vietnam. This species is mainly used for treating male impotence, irregular menstruation, and rheumatoid arthritis. This study aimed to identify the species of and genetic diversity in three M. officinalis populations: one each in Quang Binh (QB), Thua Thien Hue (TTH), and Quang Nam (QN). In this study, four DNA barcoding markers (ITS1, ITS2, matK, and rbcL) were used to identify the species and 22 microsatellite markers were applied for population structure and diversity analyses. The results showed that the sequences of gene regions studied in M. officinalis had a high similarity (&gt;95%) to the ITS1, ITS2, matK, and rbcL sequences of M. officinalis on BLAST. Of the four DNA barcoding markers used, ITS1 and ITS2 showed higher efficiency in DNA amplification of M. officinalis. From this study, 27 GenBank codes were published on BLAST. The results also revealed high levels of genetic diversity in populations. The average observed and expected heterozygosity values were HO = 0.513 and HE = 0.612, respectively. The average FST value was 0.206. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed 70% variation within populations and 30% among populations. The population structure of M. officinalis inferred in STRUCTURE revealed that the optimum number of genetic groups for the admixture model was K = 2. These findings provided vital background information for future studies in the conservation of M. officinalis in both ex situ and in situ plans

Age-seroprevalence curves for the multi-strain structure of influenza A virus

10.1038/s41467-021-26948-8Nature Communications121668

Additional file 1 of A study of genetic variants associated with skin traits in the Vietnamese population

Supplementary Material